A father and son, both California residents, were arrested today in connection with the fatal hit and run collision in Bend early yesterday morning when a 41-year old Bend woman was struck and killed while riding a bicycle on Third Street near Powers Road.Police report the vehicle involved was later set afire and reported stolen to hinder the investigation.

Christopher George Goodson, the suspected driver (left), and his father George Harold Goodson (right) - DCJ photos

The remains of the Goodson's burned Mercedes were found on China Hat Road - BPD photo

Christopher George Goodson, 22, of El Cajon and his father, 51-year old George Harold Goodson of San Diego, were taken into custody and lodged in the Deschutes County Jail, Bend Police Captain Jim Porter said.

Christopher Goodson is believed to be the driver of a gray 2000 Mercedes Benz sedan that allegedly struck and killed Kimberly Ann Potter about 2:30 a.m., April 17. The suspect told police he was out looking for something to eat when the collision occurred.

His father, George Goodson, is accused of hindering prosecution by falsely reporting the automobile – later found torched on China Hat Road – stolen.

Bend Police and Oregon State Police conducted the initial investigation, Captain Porter said.Evidence from the scene indicated that Potter was riding northbound on SE Third Street when the vehicle, also traveling north, struck her from behind.

Witness statements and evidence at the scene suggested that the vehicle was probably a late model Mercedes that had sustained considerable damage from the impact, then continued down Third Street in the same direction. “The initial impact was substantial. It was a horrific scene,” Porter said.

At about 9 a.m. George Goodson reported that his 2000 Mercedes was stolen from the parking lot of the motel where he was staying while visiting Bend -- the La Quinta Inn at 61200 S. Highway 97 -- and agreed to provide a statement to detectives at the Bend Police Department.

The captain said that about the same time that Goodson was reporting the car stolen, two other developments arose:detectives received a tip from a citizen who provided names of potential suspects and witnesses, and a burned Mercedes was located on China Hat Road.

Because of the complexity of the case due to the number of leads, suspects, and witnesses, the Central Oregon Major Incident Team was called upon to assist.Law enforcement officers from Bend, Redmond, and Prineville police departments, plus the Oregon State Police (OSP) Investigation division and the OSP crime lab participated in the growing investigation.The accident scene investigation closed Third Street to traffic for almost nine hours.

Four additional locations were put under surveillance when it was determined that they potentially held evidence of the crime:unit C-2 of the Summit Park Apartments at 2017 NE Full Moon Drive, 1701 NE Cackler, the father’s room at the La Quinta Inn, and a location near milepost 2 on China Hat Road (where the burned Mercedes was found).

In mid-afternoon, police located a 17-year-old witness who was a passenger in the suspect vehicle at the time of the crash, Porter said.The witness provided information consistent with physical evidence found at the scene, and at China Hat Road.

Captain Porter said that detectives executed search warrants last night about 11:45 p.m. at the Full Moon, Cackler, and China Hat Road locations.

During the search of the apartment on Full Moon Drive, detectives found 22-year old Christopher Goodson who was hiding in the unit rented by his friend.They also seized a large quantity of cocaine and cash, a loaded firearm, and weight scales typically used in drug sales, Porter said.

At 1701 NE Cackler, evidence tying Christopher Goodson to the accident scene was found, and the burnt remains of the Mercedes was collected as evidence at the China Hat Road location.

The father, George Goodson, was arrested about 12:40 a.m. and is charged with hindering prosecution and first-degree attempted aggravated theft.The theft charges stem from witness statements suggesting the elder Goodson was conspiring to destroy the Mercedes to insure he would get an insurance settlement, Porter said, adding that the “aggravating” factor is because the value of the loss exceeds $10,000.

The son, Christopher Goodson, was taken into custody at 7:20 a.m., and is charged with criminally negligent homicide; second-degree manslaughter, assault, and conspiracy to commit arson; reckless driving; and reckless endangering.

Captain Porter said the investigation is continuing, and asks that anyone who has information about the incident to contact the Bend Police Department at 541.322.2960.

Christopher is the most amazing man!!! He is a excellent father, and my personal savior. I owe my life to this man. He is my best friend. My family misses him tremendously. He has always been a huge part of our lives. to say that he is anything less is ludicrous. He is young, yes, and misguided. But i can personally say that Christopher was afraid, as many of us would of been, and out of fear made the wrong decision! PERIOD. Thou shalt not judge..... I love you chris and always will.

(Posted on May 24, 2007, 6:54 am riana goodson)

We all miss u chris. nobody in that paper should be talking bad about u like that they dont even know u. i love u chris and stay strong.
love lil bro cody

(Posted on May 21, 2007, 10:56 am cody dodge)

look let me start off by saying i know chris goodson probably better then alot of people. hes been a big part of my life. he really is a great person, and by ppl stating he was on drugs is ridiculous. yes they found coke at the apt but it wasnt stated he was driving under the influence of ne thing so thanx 4 adding ur 2 sence into the story. and im sure kimberly was a great person & didnt deserve to die the way she did. i am very sorry for her loss and my thoughts r with her kids. but we lost r best friend too and hes in another state and we cant even go visit him. and i just seen in ur local news that guy was arreseted 4 moloesting children and there was another hit and run by a bend resident. so californians arent the reason ur towns screwed up, u guys have ur own problems and just cuz chris was from out of town u want to make it sound like hes the reason ur lil hick town got messed up. well yes my ex boyfriend/ VERY good friend made a horriable mistake but u ppl dont know him so stop bad mouthing him. we miss u chris.. love you... amber renee!!! bobby, bernard, rob loc,mark, jeff, joey, ang, jerred,alex,cathy, robert, lil joey, bo,proof, hayden,britney, kyle, and the rest miss u 2. we love and miss u 2 george.

(Posted on May 6, 2007, 11:13 pm amber renee, el cajon ca)

sorry 4 ur loss but we miss r friend. we love u chris

(Posted on May 6, 2007, 11:13 pm missing u)

im very sorry for the family of kim potter but we did lose r best friend too. for u ppl that dont know chris personally plz stop saying what a bad person he was cuz he is a great person with a great heart who just made a horriable mistake and bad decsicion. not all cali ppl r bad but thanx, then u want to add ur 2 sence in saying he was drunk. in all the articles i read i didnt see that so who r u to add to the story. we miss and love r friend deeply and will stand not behind or next to but with thru this.

(Posted on May 6, 2007, 11:13 pm amber renne)

how could you people say if she had a license she wouldn't have died? that is rediculous! maybe if goodson was paying attention and not on drugs he would have never hit kimberly? he should of at least stopped and called the police, not stop and take her remains off the vehicle, and continue on... then they try to benefit from her death by trying to get an insurance claim from their "stolen vehicle". kim was a wonderful person and did not deserve this. either did her 3 children!!!

(Posted on April 26, 2007, 11:49 pm kayla)

then why is that you californians are always being arrested for drug trafficking in oregon.? not until your peoples arrived did all the drug and crime problems begin. mexican gangs and graffiti was not here either.

(Posted on April 21, 2007, 9:25 am PLEASE_GO_HOME)

If I hadn't read all the disgusting posts on craigslist generalizing ALL Californians as criminals and thugs who should be shot, I would have come out firing at the schmuck who posted below. Theres a lot of truth to what "W" said. You can't judge residents of an entire state by the actions of a couple of lowlifes -- if I were to do that, I'd have to say you native Bend people are truly ignorant.

(Posted on April 20, 2007, 9:37 am Richard)

Chris Goodson is a innocent man. I know him well and he would never do such a thing. You stupid Oregoonians post Chris's mug shot online like he's guilty or something. Too bad he'll never get a fair trail with all you ignorant rednecks bad mouthing him in Bend. I hope Chris and his father sue your website for slander.

(Posted on April 19, 2007, 1:28 pm W)

thats pretty crazy to me. maybe if she had got a license/insurance she would of never died?

(Posted on April 18, 2007, 11:52 pm robert)

Just a FYI for interested readers ... I did a "search all news" for "Kimberly Ann Potter" on Bend Weekly to find news of the hit and run and came across this entry in the police blotter on Jan. 2, 2007:
Kimberly Ann Potter, 40, was cited for driving with a suspended license and operating a motor vehicle without insurance. Her vehicle was impounded. (1100 NE 3rd St., 301 NE Kearney Ave.)

(Posted on April 18, 2007, 8:33 pm FYI)

DIRT+FOOTPRINTS=CONVICTIONS. Had these killers stopped and just called police, they probably wouldn't be sitting DCJ right now. I too, think that their bond was set way too low considering their actions following the accident.

(Posted on April 18, 2007, 5:59 pm Bendeho)

I only moved to Bend 6 months ago, and I have to say the police here are pretty darn impressive. From reading about all the drug busts, the traffic stings, and now tracking down scum bags who leave women dead in the street - these guys are like a dog with a bone. Very aggressive and tenacious. Thanks to the boys in blue - job well done.

(Posted on April 18, 2007, 5:15 pm Six months new to Bend)

LOL! Unfortunately these buffoons will probably have bailed out by Friday and will be on their way to good ole' Mexico. I read on z21 that the combined bond for them both were under $200000 - so 10% of that probably isn't too much for them to come up with. These guys got off really easy here and will probably end up with a slap on the wrist. I know everybody here in Bend hates each other, flip each other off, and complain a lot - but when something bad happens to one of our own, its nice to see everyone in the community banded together.

(Posted on April 18, 2007, 5:04 pm bend_hacker)

I hope these two fine upstanding California residents (murderers, thieves, liars) enjoy their visit to Bend while staying in the five-star accommodations at the Deschutes County Jail.